Current affairs

Discovered by the Earl of Arundel, centenarian Thomas Parr dies, it is claimed, at the age of 152.Richard Weston, Earl of Portland dies. Though unpopular in the Commons, Portland was an effective Lord Chief Treasurer who succeeded in curbing royal expenditure.

Art and science

Dramatic poet, James Shirley composes The Traitor, dedicating it to literary patron, William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle. Shirley would later assist Newcastle on a number of the earl's own plays, while benefiting from his patronage. Postal services are made available to the public.

International

As a result of French first minister, Cardinal Richelieu's foreign policy, France becomes directly involved in the Thirty Years' War. Elector palatine, Charles Lewis, excluded from the peace of Prague between Emperor Ferdinand II and Electorate of Saxony, travels to England to secure military help from his uncle, Charles I.

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